Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving loss exposes alarming trend: Offense is struggling

They deserved the stage on Thursday. The final score doesn’t change that.

For the first time in years, the country wanted to tune into what was happening on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. And it was going to be more than background noise while roasting turkey.

Finally, the Detroit Lions weren't going to be the opening act to the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants or the San Francisco 49ers or whatever big-market team the NFL likes trotting out on this tryptophan-fueled happy holiday.

And when the Lions drove down inside the red zone with six minutes left with a chance to make it a one-score game, everyone in the stadium was wondering if they were going to see some magic for the second game in a row.

Then the Lions botched a screen pass on third-and-7. Then followed that up by giving up another sack on fourth down.

The Packers ran off some more clock. Fans started climbing stairs. And another Thanksgiving Day game passed without a win as Green Bay won 29-22.

This one stung in a way that even last year’s heartbreak to Buffalo didn’t. Mostly because they played their worst game of the season.

Yes, the loss to Baltimore this season was more lopsided. But the Ravens are serious Super Bowl contenders. Besides, that trouncing was on the road.

This one was at home, against the hated Packers, a team the Lions had beaten three consecutive times.

Aaron Rodgers is gone. Jordan Love, his heir, has mostly struggled this season. And whatever was left of the Green Bay juju was supposed to have dissipated somewhere over Lake Michigan.

Imagine the shock then when Love dropped back on the game’s first play from the line of scrimmage and lofted a ball to Christian Watson for 53 yards. Four plays later, Love whipped it to Jayden Reed for a 10-yard touchdown.

In less than three minutes, they were trailing. After the Lions scored but missed the extra point, the Packers scored on their next possession just as easily as they did on the first.

Love had all the time he wanted to throw. His receivers had all the space they needed to run. Even the worst offense in the league can operate with conditions like that.

So, yes, the defense is struggling, and has been flat out bad four of the last five games, though it made few timely plays against the Bears. It’s concerning, more than concerning — no doubt.

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But it’s not a new worry.

Because it’s an old struggle. And that's hardly news.

This team isn’t built around defense. Brad Holmes tried to improve the talent in the offseason, and he did, but injuries negated the improvements, and until James Houston and C.J. Gardner-Johnson return, the defense will remain limited, which is to say below average, sometimes by a lot.

That’s an issue. Just not the main issue.

That would be the offense, and turnovers — seven in the last two games, six of them from Jared Goff. Against Chicago, he threw three picks. Against Green Bay, he fumbled three times, an issue he had when he played for the Rams but hasn’t had much here.

Yet it wasn’t just the turnovers against the Packers that stopped the offense. It was everything. It started up front.

Not often has this offensive line been physically dominated this season, but that’s what happened, especially up the middle, though even Penei Sewell got beat a few times.

So did Taylor Decker. And Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow and Colby Sorsdal. Turnstile defense is the technical term, of technique if you prefer, and it was surprising to watch.

Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell built this team around the offensive line. Everything flows from it. When it can’t hold up, then Goff is running for his life, though running is a generous description here.

His first two fumbles came because of a collapsed pocket. His third did, too, but that was on fourth down and he was getting sacked as the ball popped out.

When Goff is under pressure, his accuracy drops. Obviously, this is true for any quarterback, but mobile quarterbacks can get out and make plays under duress in a way Goff can’t so much. Love did. Shoot, Justin Fields did last Sunday.

If he gets time, he throws as accurate and catchable a ball as anyone in the league. Without it? I give you what happened Thursday, or against Baltimore, or even against the Bears until the last four minutes.

This team wins games with its offense. This isn’t a secret. It’s why Campbell gambled on fourth down deep in Lions territory when he called for a fake punt.

He was leaning into his offense. It worked in the season opener against Kansas City. So why not, right?

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He didn’t really have a choice. Though even if it had worked, I’m not sure the offense would’ve been able to do much anyway.

Not on this day. Not on this Thanksgiving. Not with so many turnovers.

And that’s too bad, because the offense is better than what the country got to see today. At least it has been, at least the Lions better hope it is.

One thing is for certain, this team goes as its offensive line goes.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving loss exposes bad trend: Sagging offense